Articles of luggage

ABSTRACT

The present invention addresses the problem of towing multiple articles of luggage which are unstable and awkward when being towed and, in particular, relates to an article of luggage, wherein the article of luggage comprises a base portion; a lid portion hingedly attached to the base portion and wherein the base and lid portions are arranged to open and close; a trolley handle arrangement located at a first end of the article of luggage; a set of wheels located at or about an opposed end of the article of luggage to the trolley handle arrangement; a first complementary portion of a first two-part connector means; and in an opposed orientation, a first complementary portion of a second two-part connector means; and wherein in use the first complementary portion of the first two-part connector means is operable to connect to a second complementary portion of the first two-part connector means located on a second article of luggage, and wherein the first complementary portion of the second two-part connector means is operable to connect to a second complementary portion of the second two-part connector means located on a third article of luggage, wherein at least one of the second or third articles of luggage comprises wheels and can be secured to the first article of luggage whilst both art ides of luggage are standing on their wheels on the ground.

The present invention relates to articles of luggage, more specifically,but not exclusively to a plurality of articles of luggage which can betowed, whilst securely connected one to another.

Luggage is any number of bags, cases and/or containers which hold atraveller's articles during transit. Luggage has changed over time.Historically the most common types of luggage were chests or trunks madeof wood or other heavy materials. These would have hinges and locks andwould be shipped by professional movers. In more recent times, smallerand more lightweight suitcases and bags that can be carried by anindividual have become the main form of luggage.

A suitcase is a general item that might be a wheeled or non-wheeledluggage, as well as soft or hard sided luggage. Suitcases are oftensomewhat flat, generally rectangular-shaped with rounded/square corners,and are made from materials that more or less keep their intended shape.In modern times, the main body of a suitcase is usually formed from anumber of panels, or at a minimum, two moulded clam-like shells with azip fastener along the peripheral edge of one panel, or across a numberof panels to form an opening. Many modern suitcases have built-in set orsets of wheels enabling them to be pulled along on hard flat surfaces bya fixed or extendable handle or by a retractable or stowable leash,wherein the towing handle structure is moveable between an extended usercase towing position and a retracted stowage position. Furthermore,suitcases come in a variety of sizes, the smallest being known as a“trolley bag”.

Such wheeled luggage enables a traveller to easily manoeuvre luggagefrom one destination to another without having to lift the luggage.However, occasionally some travellers need to travel with more than onearticle of luggage at a time and when they do so, they need to use bothhands, as it is difficult to manoeuvre multiple articles of luggage withone hand. This is a particular problem if the traveller is infirm, has astick, or needs to hold a small child's hand, for example.

Some prior art articles of luggage have connecting means on their upperpanel, located near to the trolley handle to attach additional articlesof luggage. However in practice, the result of using such an arrangementis that the arrangement quickly becomes inherently unstable, and,therefore, relatively hard to manoeuvre compared to a single piece ofluggage (please see FIG. 1 and description for a further explanation ofthe particular problems). This causes problems for a traveller in thathe/she will still be required to use two hands to steady the luggagewhilst manoeuvring the luggage when opening doors, moving through gaps,turning corners and ascending/descending escalators etc. This problemalmost entirely obviates the apparent usefulness of the connectingmeans.

Some larger items of luggage are capable of hanging smaller articles ontop of the luggage casing, but such an arrangement involves a travellerhaving to lift the smaller second article of luggage quite a height offthe ground, in order to hang it from the first article. Another commonlyused way of travelling with more than two cases is to lift at least oneof the articles of luggage, and placing it on top of another. Suchlifting may cause injury to certain travellers, such as the elderly orinfirm. Furthermore, parents holding a small child cannot risk placingthe child down in a public place in order to lift an article of luggageonto another.

Another prior art suit case as disclosed in US2010/0059323 A1, comprisesa back-to-back connector system; however the natural pivot of thearrangement will mean when one tows the larger case, the smaller casewill fall flat and therefore will get in the way when towed and will notadd convenience. Furthermore, this arrangement of the connected articlesof luggage does not allow a user to walk directly in front or behind thearticles of luggage when towing the arrangement, which is highly awkwardand inefficient for a user, especially if the user is in a hurry e.g. tocatch a train or a plane, or trying to manoeuvre around a barrier orobject. Also, due the inherent back to back nature of this system, onlytwo articles of wheeled luggage can be connected in this way.

Some of these and other problems with prior art luggage systems arediscussed further with reference to FIG. 1 following.

The present invention therefore seeks to provide an article of luggagewhich overcomes, or at least reduces some of the above-mentionedproblems of the prior art.

Thus, there is provided a wheeled suitcase comprising two separatesecuring means located in opposed orientations for connecting more thanone further item of luggage; one item to each of the two opposed sidesof the wheeled suitcase, wherein the further items do not need to belifted up to be secured one to another.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an article of luggage, wherein the article of luggagecomprises: a base portion; a lid portion hingedly attached to the baseportion and wherein the base and lid portions are arranged to open andclose; a trolley handle arrangement located at a first end of thearticle of luggage; a set of wheels located at or about an opposed endof the article of luggage to the trolley handle arrangement; a firstcomplementary portion of a first two-part connector means; and in anopposed orientation, a first complementary portion of a second two-partconnector means; and wherein in use the first complementary portion ofthe first two-part connector means is operable to connect to a secondcomplementary portion of the first two-part connector means located on asecond article of luggage, and wherein the first complementary portionof the second two-part connector means is operable to connect to asecond complementary portion of the second two-part connector meanslocated on a third article of luggage, wherein at least one of thesecond or third articles of luggage can be secured to the first articleof luggage whilst both articles of luggage are standing on their wheelson the ground.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a set of two articles of luggage, wherein both the articles ofluggage comprise: a base portion; a lid portion hingedly attached to thebase portion and wherein the base and lid portions are arranged to openand close; a trolley handle arrangement located at a first end of eachof the articles of luggage; a set of wheels located at or about anopposed end of each of the articles of luggage to the trolley handlearrangement; and wherein the first article of luggage further comprisesa first complementary portion of a first two-part connector means, andthe second article of luggage comprises a second complementary portionof the first two-part connector means, wherein the first and secondcomplementary portions of the first two-part connector means are locatedon each article of luggage such that the first complementary portion ofthe first two-part connector can be secured to the second complementaryportion of the first two-part connector whilst both articles of luggageare standing on their wheels on the ground, and wherein the first orsecond articles of luggage further comprise a first complementaryportion of a second two-part connector, such that in use, the first orsecond article of luggage can be secured to a second complementaryportion of a second two-part connector of a third article of wheeledluggage, whilst the third article of luggage is standing on its wheelson the ground.

Preferably, the first complementary portions of the first and secondtwo-part connector means are located in an opposed orientation.

The following preferable features are with reference to both the firstand second aspects.

Preferably, wherein all articles of luggage are orientated in the samedirection.

Preferably, the first article of luggage further comprises a firstcomplementary portion of a third two-part connector means and a firstcomplementary portion of a fourth two-part connector means.

Further preferably, the second article of luggage comprises a secondcomplementary portion of the third two-part connector means.

Preferably, the third article of luggage comprises a secondcomplementary portion of the fourth two-part connector means.

Preferably, the two-part connector means are located at or about thesides of the respective articles of luggage.

Preferably, the first complementary portion of each two-part connectormeans comprises a fabric strap coupled to a male connector portion andthe second complementary portion of each two-part connector means is afabric strap coupled to a female connector, and wherein the male andfemale connector portions are plastic.

Preferably, the length of the complementary portions are adjustable.

Preferably, the base portion is formed as a tray-like portion andcomprises, a major panel portion and four minor side panel portions.

Preferably, the lid portion is formed as a tray-like portion andcomprises, a major panel portion and four minor side panel portions.

Preferably, the lid and tray portion are formed each as singleshell-like portions.

Preferably, both the articles of luggage comprise a second set ofwheels, located at or about an opposed end of the article of luggage tothe trolley handle arrangement.

Preferably, the articles of luggage comprise connector pockets, whereinat least one part of the two-part connectors is retained within theconnector pocket when fully closed.

Preferably, the connector pockets comprise a closure mechanism locatedaround their periphery, wherein the closure mechanism is azip-mechanism.

Preferably, the first and second complementary portions of the firsttwo-part connector means are co-located at the same height when thefirst and second articles of luggage are adjacent each other.

Preferably, the first and second complementary portions of the secondtwo-part connector means are co-located at the same height when thefirst and third articles of luggage are adjacent each other.

Preferably, the first and second complementary portions of the thirdtwo-part connector means are co-located at the same height when thefirst and second articles of luggage are adjacent each other.

Preferably, the first and second complementary portions of the fourthtwo-part connector means are co-located at the same height when thefirst and third articles of luggage are adjacent each other.

Three embodiments of the invention will now be more fully described, byway of example, with reference to the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a side view of two articles of luggageconnected together as known in the art;

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a perspective view of an individual articleof luggage according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a rear view of the article of luggage ofFIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a front view of the article of luggage ofFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a side view of a number of individualarticles of luggage of FIG. 2A, which vary in size;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a side view of the individual articles ofluggage of FIG. 3 when coupled together;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a side view of the coupled articles ofluggage of FIG. 4, when being towed;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a side view of an article of luggageaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a perspective view of an article of luggageaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a side view of the connector pockets; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a side view of the individual articles ofluggage when being towed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a side view of first article of luggage 1 asknown in the art, which is arranged to tow a second article of luggage10. The first article of luggage 1 comprises a handle 2, wheels 4, acase body 6, and female connector 8; and the second article of luggagecomprises wheels 12, case body 14 and male connector 16. Upon connectingthe male connector 8 to the female connector 16, the cases are joined ina towable arrangement, whereby the second article of luggage ismanoeuvred using the handle 2 of the first article of luggage 1 when thearticles of luggage 1, 10 are in an inclined position.

However, one problem with this arrangement is that, the centre ofgravity of the cases is such that a user must expend a great deal ofenergy to place the second article of luggage 10 into an inclinedposition, in order to firstly attach the two articles together. This isbecause the weight of the second article 10 naturally pulls the firstarticle 1 towards it as they are being coupled together. Therefore inorder to couple these articles 1, 10, a user literally needs more thanone pair of hands, the first to lift the second article 10 and then asecond pair of hands to couple them together. As the two articles ofluggage 1, 10 are coupled together, again the weight of the secondarticle of luggage 10 tries to pull both articles of luggage 1, 10 overand they have to be immediately stabilised by pulling back on the handle2 of the first article 1 (as shown by the arrows marked on FIG. 1).

The result of using such an arrangement being that it is naturallyunstable, and, therefore, hard to manoeuvre compared to a single pieceof luggage. This causes problems for a traveller in that he/she willstill be required to use two hands to stabilise the two pieces whenmanoeuvring the luggage when opening doors, moving through gaps, turningcorners and ascending/descending escalators etc. Therefore, articles ofluggage having such connection means are unsuitable for parents withvery young children, the elderly and/or the infirm.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a perspective view of an article of luggage17 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2B is adiagram showing the rear view of the article of luggage 17, and FIG. 2Cis a diagram showing the front view of the article of luggage 17. Thesame numbering is used for like features throughout these figures.

In the illustrated embodiment, the article of luggage 17 comprises abase portion and a lid portion in which the base and lid portions areformed from two moulded clam-like shell portions, a front shell portion24 and a back shell portion 26. Other constructions of the base portionand lid portion are envisaged and are disclosed by way of example inrelation to FIGS. 6 to 9 below. The shell portions 24, 26 may be formedin any way as known in the art and may be made from any materialtraditionally used to make hard or soft style cases; that is they may bemade from moulded plastic, or a foamed plastics material such as EVA, orfrom composite fabric and board layers, for example. The front and backshell portions 24, 26 are hingedly attached and are openable withrespect to each other, by means of an opening zip fastener arrangement27 located around their peripheral edge. The article of luggage 17 mayincorporate further features not described in the figures, such assuitcase expander capabilities and/or other features applicable toluggage which are well known in the art.

A trolley handle arrangement 20 is located on the back shell portion 26,and comprises two extendable, rigid vertically upright members 42. Thetrolley handle arrangement 20 is generally centred longitudinally on theback shell portion 26, of the article of luggage 17. The trolley handlearrangement 20 also comprises a cross-piece 44, which spans the top ofthe upright members 42. A recess 441 is fabricated into the back shellportion (FIG. 2B only) such that the trolley handle arrangement 20 isstored in the recess 441 when not required by a user. Inserted into thecross piece 44 is a button 29 which is used to unlock and lock the crosspiece 44 into place. Such a locking mechanism is known in the art. Auser defined grip (not shown) may also be incorporated into the crosspiece 44. The article of luggage 17 also comprises two sets of wheels28, which are located on the front and back shell portion 24, 26 at theopposite end of the shell portions 24, 26 to the trolley handlearrangement 20.

Two connector straps 30, each having a female connector 36, are attachedto either side of the back shell portion 26 (both shown in FIG. 2Bonly), whilst two connector straps 31 having male connectors 34, areattached to either side of the front shell portion 24 (shown in FIGS. 2Aand 2C only). The connection straps 30, 31 are positioned at or abovethe mid-point of the vertical height of the article of luggage 17,conveniently on the same horizontal axis as each other.

The connection straps 30, 31 are fabricated from durable and flexiblematerial, such as nylon, cotton, plastic and/or other such material. Theconnection straps 30, 31 are attached to the shell portions 24 and 26 bymeans of glue, stitching, staples or by any other known method forattaching a piece of flexible material to an article of luggage.

The connection straps 30, 31 are attached to the female and maleconnectors 36, 34 using a length adjustment buckle 35 such that when thestraps 30 and/or 31 are pulled relative to their respective connectors36, 34, the length of the strap 30 and/or 31 will lengthen or shorten,depending on the direction of the applied force. Such length adjustmentmechanisms 35 are known in the art.

The male and female connectors 34, 36 can be engaged and disengaged fromeach other by a user as known in the art.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a side view of a number of individualarticles of luggage 17, 18, 19, which vary in size. In the illustratedembodiment, each of the articles of luggage 17, 18, 19 comprise twomoulded clam-like shell portions, a front shell portion 24 and a backshell portion 26, as described in FIGS. 2A, 2B & 2C above.

Each of the individual articles of luggage 17, 18 and 19 has connectionstraps 30, 31 also as described in FIGS. 2A, 2B & 2C above. Theconnection straps 30, 31 are located on the articles of luggage 17, 18and 19 such that when the articles of luggage are located adjacent eachother, the connection straps 30, 31 on article of luggage 17, 18 and 19are located at the same vertical height as connection straps 30, 31 onthe adjacent articles of luggage 17, 18 or 19. This is so that the maleconnector 34 on one article of luggage 17, 18 or 19 can readily connectto the female connector 36 on a second article of luggage 17, 18 or 19(see FIG. 4).

The connector straps 30, 31 and connectors 34, 36 may be covered bymaterial (not shown) such that they are hidden from view when notconnected to the connector means of an adjacent article of luggage 17,18 or 19, or they may be neatly stowed by being connected to each other,as shown in FIG. 3, or in a zip pocket, as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a side view of the individual articles ofluggage 17, 18, 19 of FIG. 3 coupled together. In order to connect afirst article of luggage 18 to a second article of luggage 17, the backshell portion 26 of the first article of luggage 18 is placed adjacentthe front shell portion 24 of the second article of luggage 17, by usingits trolley handle arrangement 20 and wheels 28, thereby removing thenecessity to lift an article of luggage 17, 18 or 19 at any time.

Quite easily, and without having to lift the articles of luggage, themale connectors 34 of the second article of luggage 17 can then beinserted into the female connectors on the first article of luggage 18,and are retained in position as described in FIG. 2A above. A furtherarticle of luggage 19 may as easily be attached to the second article ofluggage 18, using the above process, thereby forming an arrangement ofthree articles of luggage 17, 18 and 19. The length of the connectionstraps 30, 31 may also be adjusted, as described in FIG. 2 above, suchthat the adjacent articles of luggage 17, 18, 19 when connected, can betensioned to ensure the articles of luggage 17, 18, 19 are maintainedadjacent each other in use.

Importantly, at no point in time during this connecting process do anyof the articles of luggage need to be lifted up. They are simplymanoeuvred by use of their wheels and trolley handle.

Using the method described above in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, The articles ofluggage 17, 18 and/or 19 can be coupled to or uncoupled from, any otherarticle of luggage 17, 18 and/or 19 in an arrangement. It should also beevident that one advantage of the invention is that any number ofarticles of luggage of differing sizes can be added to the arrangement.All articles of luggage in the arrangement do not necessarily needwheels 28 and/or a trolley handle arrangement 20, so long as the articleof luggage, which is used to tow the other article(s) of luggage in thearrangement has such features.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a side view of the articles of luggage 17,18, 19 of FIG. 3 when being towed. The arrangement of Figure can beplaced in an inclined position by a user pulling the trolley handlearrangement 20 in the direction of the arrow. This particulararrangement of coupled articles of luggage 17, 18, 19 is such that it iseasily manoeuvrable using one hand when the articles of luggage 17, 18,19 are in an inclined position. Indeed, in the illustrated embodiment asall articles of luggage 17, 18, 19 have been provided with a set ofwheels it is possible to tow the coupled the articles of luggage 17, 18,19 without inclining the articles of luggage 17, 18, 19—though they areless manoeuvrable than when inclined.

Due to the positioning of the connector means and the fact there are twosets of per suitcase, the arrangement is now much more stable, such thata user can turn corners, open doors, and use escalators/elevators usingonly one hand to manoeuvre the arrangement of multiple articles.

Depending on the size of the articles of luggage in an arrangement, thetightness of the connection straps 34, 36 when coupled together, and theangle of incline □, the wheels 28 on each article of luggage 17, 18and/or 19 may be in constant contact with the floor when being towed.The fact that the wheels 28 of some articles of luggage are not incontact with the floor will not impact on the manoeuvrability of thearrangement due to the fact that there are two points of coupling withtwo connectors. Furthermore, there is a low centre of gravity becausethe connection straps 34, 36 are located on the side of the shell panels24, 26, and not, as with the prior art, located at the top of the shellpanels 24, 26.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a perspective view of an article of luggage117 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The article of luggage 117 comprises a tray-like base portion 125 and alid portion 124. The tray-like base portion comprises a major panel 126,a first side panel 127 (and opposite second side panel not shown),bottom panel 122 and top panel 123. The lid portion 124 is hingedlyattached to the tray-like base portion 125 by a zip fastener arrangement121 located on the periphery of the first side 127, second side, top andbottom panels 123 and 122 of the tray-like base portion 125. Thetray-like base portion 125 and lid portion 124 may be formed in any wayas known in the art and may be made from any material traditionally usedto make hard or soft style suitcases; that is they may be made frommoulded plastic, or a foamed plastics material such as EVA, or fromcomposite fabric and board layers, for example. The lid and tray-likebase portions 124, 125 are hinged together and are openable with respectto each other, by means of the opening zip fastener arrangement 121. Thearticle of luggage 117 may incorporate further features not described inthe figures, such as storage pockets, suitcase expander capabilitiesand/or other features applicable to luggage which are well known in theart.

A trolley handle arrangement 120 is located on the major panel 126, andcomprises two extendable, rigid vertically upright members 142. Thetrolley handle arrangement 120 is generally centred longitudinally onthe major panel 126, of the article of luggage 117. The trolley handlearrangement 120 also comprises a cross-piece 144, which spans the top ofthe upright members 142. Inserted into the cross piece 144 is a button129 which is used to unlock and lock the cross piece 144 into place.Such a locking mechanism is known in the art. A user defined grip (notshown) may also be incorporated into the cross piece 144. The article ofluggage 117 also comprises two sets of wheels 128, which are located oneach corner of the bottom panel 122.

The article of luggage 117 also comprises two connector straps 130 and131, each coupled to male and female connectors 134 and 136respectively. FIG. 6 shows only one of each male and female connector134, 136. The connection straps 130, 131 are positioned at or above themid-point of the vertical height of the article of luggage 117 on thesame horizontal axis as each other. Only one set of connector straps areshown in FIG. 6.

The connection straps 130, 131 are fabricated from durable and flexiblematerial, such as nylon, cotton, plastic and/or other such material. Theconnection straps 130, 131 are attached to the side panels 127 by meansof glue, stitching, staples or by any other known method for attaching apiece of flexible material to an article of luggage.

The connection straps 130, 131 are attached to the male and femaleconnectors 134, 136 using a length adjustment buckle 135 such that whenthe connection straps 130, 131 are pulled relative to the connectors136, 134, the length of the strap 130 or 131 will lengthen or shortendepending on the direction of the applied force. Such length adjustmentmechanisms 135 are well known to those skilled in the art of luggage.

The male and female connectors 134, 136 can be engaged and disengagedfrom each other by a user as known in the art.

The article of luggage of the second embodiment would be connected oneto another as previously described with reference to FIG. 5. Thedifference between the first and second embodiments of the presentinvention is the precise location of the connector straps in relation tothe physical parts of the articles of luggage. In the first embodiment(FIGS. 2 a to 5), the connector straps are located one on the firstshell-like portion, the other on the second shell-like portion. In thesecond embodiments (FIG. 6) the connector straps are both located on thetray-like base portion.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a perspective view of an article of luggage217 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherebythe article of luggage 217 comprises closable connector pockets 250. Theconnector pockets 250 are described in greater detail below in FIG. 8.

The article of luggage 217 comprises a tray-like base portion 225 and alid portion 224. The tray-like base portion comprises a major panel 226,a first side panel 227 (and opposite second side panel not shown),bottom panel 222 and top panel 223. The lid portion 224 is hingedlyattached to the tray-like base portion 225 by a zip fastener arrangement221 located on the periphery of the first side 227, second side, top andbottom panels 223 and 222 of the tray-like base portion 225. Thetray-like base portion 225 and lid portion 224 may be formed in any wayas known in the art and may be made from any material traditionally usedto make hard or soft style suitcases; that is they may be made frommoulded plastic, or a foamed plastics material such as EVA, or fromcomposite fabric and board layers, for example. The lid and tray-likebase portions 224, 225 are hinged together and are openable with respectto each other, by means of the opening zip fastener arrangement 221. Thearticle of luggage 217 may incorporate further features not described inthe figures, such as storage pockets, suitcase expander capabilitiesand/or other features applicable to luggage which are well known in theart.

A trolley handle arrangement 220 is located on the major panel 226, andcomprises two extendable, rigid vertically upright members 242. Thetrolley handle arrangement 220 is generally centred longitudinally onthe major panel 226, of the article of luggage 217. Inserted into thecross piece 244 is a button 229 which is used to unlock and lock thecross piece 244 into place. Such a locking mechanism is known in theart. A user defined grip (not shown) may also be incorporated into thecross piece 244. The article of luggage 217 also comprises two sets ofwheels 228, which are located on each corner of the bottom panel 222.

The article of luggage 217 also comprises two connector straps 230 and231, each coupled to male and female connectors 234 and 236respectively.

The connector straps 230, 231 are attached to the first and second sidepanels 227 and are located inside the connector pockets 250 such thatwhen the zip-mechanism 254 on a connector pocket 250 is fully closed,the connector straps 230, 231 are fully containable within therespective connector pockets 250. FIGS. 7 to 9 illustrates that theconnector straps 230, 231 need not be attached to the first and secondside panels 227 of adjacent articles of luggage 227 on the samehorizontal axis as one another.

The connection straps 230, 231 are fabricated from durable and flexiblematerial, such as nylon, cotton, plastic and/or other such material. Theconnection straps 230, 231 are attached to the side panels 227 by meansof glue, stitching, staples or by any other known method for attaching apiece of flexible material to an article of luggage.

The connection straps 230, 231 are attached to the male and femaleconnectors 234, 236 (FIG. 8) using a length adjustment buckle 235 suchthat when the connection straps 230, 231 are pulled relative to theconnectors 236, 234, the length of the strap 230 or 231 will lengthen orshorten depending on the direction of the applied force. Such lengthadjustment mechanisms 235 are well known to those skilled in the art ofluggage.

The male and female connectors 234, 236 can be engaged and disengagedfrom each other by a user as known in the art.

FIG. 8 shows the closable connector pockets in greater detail. Theconnector pockets 250 are located towards the top of each of the sidepanels 227 of the articles of luggage 217, 218 and are fabricated fromthe same material as the articles of luggage 217, 218. However, itshould be obvious to a person skilled in the art that such connectorpockets 250 are not required to be fabricated from the same material asthe article of luggage, and can, in fact, be fabricated from othersuitable materials attached to the article of luggage known in the artof suitcase manufacture. The connector pockets 250 are openable/closableby means of a closure mechanism. The closure mechanism described in thisembodiment is a zip-mechanism 254, comprising a zip handle 255 and azip-track 257, which is located around the periphery of two sides of theconnector pocket 250. Alternatively, the closure-mechanism may be a hookand eye fastener (VELCRO™), button mechanism or other such closing meansknown to those skilled in the art.

A stitch pattern 251, is applied to the material forming the connectorpocket 250 and to the side 227 of the article of luggage 217, 218,thereby defining the depth and shape of the connector pockets 250.

The article of luggage of the third embodiment would be connected one toanother as previously described with reference to FIG. 5. The differencebetween the first, second and third embodiments of the present inventionis the precise location of the connector straps in relation to thephysical parts of the articles of luggage. In the first embodiment(FIGS. 2 a to 5), the connector straps are located one on one shell-likeportion, the other on the second shell-like portion. In the secondembodiments (FIG. 6) they are both located on the tray-like baseportion, whilst in the third embodiment (FIGS. 7, 8 & 9), they arecontained within closable connector pockets.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a side view of the articles of luggage 217,218 when being towed. The arrangement can be placed in an inclinedposition by a user pulling the trolley handle arrangement 220 in thedirection of the arrow. This particular arrangement of coupled articlesof luggage 217, 218 is such that it is easily manoeuvrable using onehand when the articles of luggage 217, 218 are in an inclined position.

Due to the positioning of the connector means and the fact there are twosets of per suitcase, the arrangement is now much more stable, such thata user can turn corners, open doors, and use escalators/elevators usingonly one hand to manoeuvre the arrangement of multiple articles ofluggage in a “train”. For example, it is, therefore, possible to havemore than 2 wheeled articles of luggage in the train, or 2 wheeled and 1non wheeled article of luggage, or other such configurations.

Depending on the size of the articles of luggage in an arrangement, thetightness of the connection straps 230, 231 when coupled together, andthe angle of incline □, the wheels 228 on each article of luggage 217and/or 218 may be in constant contact with the floor when being towed.The fact that the wheels 228 of some articles of luggage are not incontact with the floor will not impact on the manoeuvrability of thearrangement due to the fact that there are two points of coupling withtwo connectors.

The difference between the first, second and third embodiments of thepresent invention is the precise location of the connector straps inrelation to the physical parts of the articles of luggage. In the firstembodiment (FIGS. 2 a to 5), the connector straps are located one on oneshell-like portion, the other on the second shell-like portion. In thesecond embodiments (FIG. 6) they are both located on the tray-like baseportion. In the third embodiment (FIGS. 7, 8 & 9), the connectors arelocatable within connector pockets on the article of luggage but extendfrom the closable pockets when the closable pockets are opened.

It should now be evident that any article of luggage of eitherembodiment of the present invention, having two sets of male and/orfemale connectors or may tow, or be towed by, any other article ofluggage having such an arrangement of male and/or female connectorsand/or and a handle and wheels. Furthermore, any number of articlesmaybe easily coupled to, or decoupled from an arrangement such that auser does not have to struggle to lift or manoeuvre the multiplearticles of luggage in a row.

The present invention allows a user to create an arrangement of articlesof luggage to be towed without having to struggle to couple the articlesof luggage. Unlike the prior art, there is no need for the user to haveto lift articles of luggage into place before coupling them togetherbecause the positioning of the connection straps ensures that the maleand female connectors can be easily engaged when the articles of luggageare placed adjacent each other. The articles can be easily placedadjacent each other using the trolley handle arrangement and wheels,thereby removing the necessity to lift anything.

The positioning of the connection straps on the sides of the articles ofluggage, means that the centre of gravity of coupled articles of luggageis lower than that which is available on articles of luggage known inthe prior art. The low centre of gravity means that an arrangement, ofcoupled articles of luggage, can be easily placed into an inclinedposition, by the old, weak, frail, people carrying luggage and/orminding children. The low centre of gravity also means that the articlesof luggage can be easily manoeuvred with one hand, thereby allowing auser to tow the arrangement with one hand whilst opening doors, carryinga child/holding a child's hand, using escalators/elevators and/orcarrying further suitcases.

The two connection straps on each article of luggage in an arrangementensure a secure coupling is achieved, meaning that a user can tow thearrangement and turn corners at speed without the arrangement wobblingor toppling over. This is particularly useful if a user is late for aplane or a train and is required to run. Having two sets of straps oneach suitcase means that any configuration of suitcases/trolley bags canbe used, and furthermore, multiple articles can be connected together asshown in FIG. 5.

It will be appreciated that although only one particular embodiment ofthe invention has been described in detail, various modifications andimprovements can be made by a person skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

1.-25. (canceled)
 26. An article of luggage, wherein the article ofluggage comprises: a base portion; a lid portion hingedly attached tothe base portion and wherein the base and lid portions are arranged toopen and close; a trolley handle arrangement located at a first end ofthe article of luggage; a set of wheels located at or about an opposedend of the article of luggage to the trolley handle arrangement; a firstcomplimentary portion of a first two-part connector means; and in anopposed orientation, a first complimentary portion of a second two-partconnector means; and wherein in use the first complimentary portion ofthe first two-part connector means is operable to connect to a secondcomplimentary portion of the first two-part connector means located on asecond article of luggage, and wherein the first complimentary portionof the second two-part connector means is operable to connect to asecond complimentary portion of the second two-part connector meanslocated on a third article of luggage, wherein at least one of thesecond or third articles of luggage comprises wheels and can be securedto the first article of luggage whilst both articles of luggage arestanding on the ground.
 27. A set of two articles of luggage, whereinboth the articles of luggage comprise: a base portion; a lid portionhingedly attached to the base portion and wherein the base and lidportions are arranged to open and close; a trolley handle arrangementlocated at a first end of each of the articles of luggage; a set ofwheels located at or about an opposed end of each of the articles ofluggage to the trolley handle arrangement; and wherein the first articleof luggage further comprises a first complimentary portion of a firsttwo-part connector means, and the second article of luggage comprises asecond complimentary portion of the first two-part connector means,wherein the first and second complimentary portions of the firsttwo-part connector means are located on each article of luggage suchthat the first complimentary portion of the first two-part connector canbe secured to the second complimentary portion of the first two-partconnector whilst both articles of luggage are standing on their wheelson the ground, and wherein the first or second articles of luggagefurther comprise a first complimentary portion of a second two-partconnector, such that in use, the first or second article of luggage canbe secured to a second complimentary portion of a second two-partconnector of a third article of wheeled luggage, whilst the thirdarticle of luggage is standing on its wheels on the ground.
 28. Articlesof luggage according to claim 27, wherein the first complimentaryportions of the first and second two-part connector means are located inopposed orientations.
 29. Articles of luggage according to claim 27,wherein all articles of luggage are orientated in the same direction.30. Articles of luggage according to claim 27, wherein the first articleof luggage further comprises a first complimentary portion of a thirdtwo-part connector means and a first complimentary portion of a fourthtwo-part connector means.
 31. Articles of luggage according to claim 30,wherein the second article of luggage comprises a second complimentaryportion of the third two-part connector means.
 32. Articles of luggageaccording to claim 30, wherein the third article of luggage comprises asecond complimentary portion of the fourth two-part connector means. 33.Articles of luggage according to claim 31, wherein the third article ofluggage comprises a second complimentary portion of the fourth two-partconnector means.
 34. Articles of luggage according to claim 27 whereinthe two-part connector means are located at or about the sides of therespective articles of luggage.
 35. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 27, wherein the first complimentary portion of each two-partconnector means comprises a fabric strap coupled to a male connectorportion and the second complementary portion of each two-part connectormeans is a fabric strap coupled to a female connector.
 36. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 35, wherein the male and femaleconnector portions are plastic.
 37. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 27, wherein the length of the complimentary portions areadjustable.
 38. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 27, whereinthe base portion is formed as a tray-like portion and comprises, a majorpanel portion and four minor side panel portions.
 39. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 27, wherein the lid portion is formedas a tray-like portion and comprises, a major panel portion and fourminor side panel portions.
 40. Articles of luggage according to claim27, wherein both the lid and tray portion are formed each as singleshell-like portions.
 41. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim27, wherein both the articles of luggage comprise a second set ofwheels, located at or about an opposed end of the article of luggage tothe trolley handle arrangement.
 42. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 27, wherein the articles of luggage comprise connectorpockets, wherein at least one part of the two-part connectors isretained within the connector pocket when fully closed.
 43. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 42, wherein the connector pocketscomprise a closure mechanism located around their periphery. 44.Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 42, wherein the closuremechanism is a zip-mechanism.
 45. Articles of luggage in accordance withclaim 43, wherein the closure mechanism is a zip-mechanism.
 46. Articlesof luggage in accordance with claim 27, wherein the first and secondcomplimentary portions of the first two-part connector means areco-located at the same height when the first and second articles ofluggage are adjacent each other.
 47. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 27, wherein the first and second complimentary portions ofthe second two-part connector means are co-located at the same heightwhen the first and third articles of luggage are adjacent each other.48. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 27, wherein the firstand second complimentary portions of the third two-part connector meansare co-located at the same height when the first and second articles ofluggage are adjacent each other.
 49. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 27, wherein the first and second complimentary portions ofthe fourth two-part connector means are co-located at the same heightwhen the first and third articles of luggage are adjacent each other.50. Articles of luggage according to claim 26, wherein the firstcomplimentary portions of the first and second two-part connector meansare located in opposed orientations.
 51. Articles of luggage accordingto claim 26, wherein all articles of luggage are orientated in the samedirection.
 52. Articles of luggage according to claim 26, wherein thefirst article of luggage further comprises a first complimentary portionof a third two-part connector means and a first complimentary portion ofa fourth two-part connector means.
 53. Articles of luggage according toclaim 52, wherein the second article of luggage comprises a secondcomplimentary portion of the third two-part connector means. 54.Articles of luggage according to claim 42, wherein the third article ofluggage comprises a second complimentary portion of the fourth two-partconnector means.
 55. Articles of luggage according to claim 53, whereinthe third article of luggage comprises a second complimentary portion ofthe fourth two-part connector means.
 56. Articles of luggage accordingto claim 26, wherein the two-part connector means are located at orabout the sides of the respective articles of luggage.
 57. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein the first complimentaryportion of each two-part connector means comprises a fabric strapcoupled to a male connector portion and the second complementary portionof each two-part connector means is a fabric strap coupled to a femaleconnector.
 58. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 32, whereinthe male and female connector portions are plastic.
 59. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein the length of thecomplimentary portions are adjustable.
 60. Articles of luggage inaccordance with claim 26, wherein the base portion is formed as atray-like portion and comprises, a major panel portion and four minorside panel portions.
 61. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim26, wherein the lid portion is formed as a tray-like portion andcomprises, a major panel portion and four minor side panel portions. 62.Articles of luggage according to claim 26, wherein both the lid and trayportion are formed each as single shell-like portions.
 63. Articles ofluggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein both the articles ofluggage comprise a second set of wheels, located at or about an opposedend of the article of luggage to the trolley handle arrangement. 64.Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein the articles ofluggage comprise connector pockets, wherein at least one part of thetwo-part connectors is retained within the connector pocket when fullyclosed.
 65. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 64, wherein theconnector pockets comprise a closure mechanism located around theirperiphery.
 66. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 64, whereinthe closure mechanism is a zip-mechanism.
 67. Articles of luggage inaccordance with claim 65, wherein the closure mechanism is azip-mechanism.
 68. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 26,wherein the first and second complimentary portions of the firsttwo-part connector means are co-located at the same height when thefirst and second articles of luggage are adjacent each other. 69.Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein the first andsecond complimentary portions of the second two-part connector means areco-located at the same height when the first and third articles ofluggage are adjacent each other.
 70. Articles of luggage in accordancewith claim 26, wherein the first and second complimentary portions ofthe third two-part connector means are co-located at the same heightwhen the first and second articles of luggage are adjacent each other.71. Articles of luggage in accordance with claim 26, wherein the firstand second complimentary portions of the fourth two-part connector meansare co-located at the same height when the first and third articles ofluggage are adjacent each other.